In a Fleeting Moment
by Mrs.DylanLightwoodIvashkov
Summary: Just a simple one-shot... Toph is about to leave the Fire Nation, and so she's saying goodbye to Zuko. Fluff, really. It's my first fanfic so no flames please, although a bit of polite criticism is welcome.


**Hey guys! This is my first fanfic on this site, so please no flames! This is inspired by a real, um, event that happened to my friend. Just thought I'd somehow turn it into a cute story. This doesn't follow the story lines of "The Promise" but that sort of background isn't really necessary for the story. But, since some of you guys out there care about that sort of thing, I just thought I'd mention that. **

**I don't think I really need to say this, but I will anyway, just in case: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of these characters.  
**

Toph padded softly into the room, her feet seeing everything. The padded sofa, the coffee table, the hard backed wooden chairs, and even the plush rug. But Toph Bei Fong didn't really care about any of that. What her feet really cared about seeing was the figure standing in the middle of the room.

There was a strange feeling of nervousness in Toph's stomach, and she shook her head, wondering when all of these weird feelings had started to happen. Toph could feel the air beginning to get cooler, and she knew that the sun was just beginning to set. Katara had once told her that sunsets looked like a fiery glow of gold surrounded by vibrant pinks and oranges, eventually fading into blue. The blue traveled across the sky, eventually getting darker and darker.

The only problem with that description was that since Toph had been blind her whole life, she had no idea what any of those colors really looked like. She let out a little sigh, resigning to this ignorance.

"Toph?" Zuko asked, and Toph could hear him turning around. "What are you doing here?"

A little bit of Toph's natural stubbornness and attitude came back. "I have as much of a right to be here as you do," she said a bit indignantly.

Zuko chuckled softly, a trace of a smile crossing his face. "Actually, I could kick you out of here anytime I want," he said walking to stand in front of her. "You know, being the Fire Lord and all..."

Toph punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Shut up," she said, her voice friendly and playful. "I know you'd never do that to _me_." She smirked and tucked some of her dark hair behind her ear.

The Fire Lord grinned at Toph. "If you say so," he said teasingly. "Just remember that you're a guest here in the Fire Nation. Even if you're going to be leaving tomorrow, you're still a guest right now. So don't go causing any trouble."

This caused the blind girl to roll her unseeing eyes. "Yeah, yeah," she said. "And _you_ had better remember that I'm currently one of the most powerful earthbenders in the world. So, if you annoy me, I can still kick your butt to the North Pole and back." Zuko privatly, disagreed with this. On two levels. For one thing, he thought that she was the most powerful earthbender, not just one of the most, and two, he did not think she would be able to kick his butt anywhere.

"I'll keep that in mind," Zuko said in mock agreement. "What time are you leaving?" he said as an afterthought.

"Nosy, nosy. Eager to get rid of me?" Toph asked. "But, for your information, I'm going to have to leave really early. Probably before breakfast. I'll do the whole grab-a-roll-and-go thing and then head out.

Zuko was surprised to realize that he didn't want the young earthbender to leave. He knew that he'd miss her spark, sarcasm, and determination. After all, Toph had been staying in the Fire Nation for quite some time. It had been a little bit over four years since the 100 Year War ended and Toph had stayed in the Fire Nation for about six months. "That's a shame," he said evenly. "Where are you going to have to go?" This time he spoke out of genuine curiosity, not just polite questioning or nosiness.

"I'm going to Ba Sing Sei. I can help out a lot there. I heard it's kind of chaotic, and besides, Aang and Katara are there right now too. So, it'll be nice to see them."

There was a strange feeling of jealousy in Zuko. He abruptly realized just how much he missed spending time with the rest of the Team Avatar and being free of the burden a Fire Lord has to carry. He would have loved to be able to see Aang and Katara with Toph. He sat down on the couch, rubbing his forehead.

"Th-that's great," Zuko stuttered. "I'm sure you'll be missed by everyone here."

Toph laughed, a mischievous smile lighting up her face as she sat down beside him. "I'm not quite so sure about that. There's a certain general that may be finding his pants hanging from a tree in one of courtyards tomorrow," she giggled. "Oh, and did I mention that annoying little boy who has that awful swing set that creaks all the time? It might be a little... Immobile. And when I say that, I mean _everything_ immobile. "

Zuko found himself laughing at this despite himself. "I shouldn't have expected you to leave here without making your, um, mark on us," he said.

"No," Toph agreed. "I really just came here to say good bye to you." She smiled softly at him.

There was a heavy silence that followed this. "Oh, okay then," Zuko said in order to break the quiet. "Well, goodbye then, Toph. I hope you have a safe trip to Ba Sing Sei."

"Even if I put a live cobra in your bedroom? It's really big." Toph couldn't resist asking.

Zuko sighed dramatically but nodded with good nature. "Yes, Toph. Even if you decided to put a live cobra in my bedroom. And I'll miss you especially, the bigger you made it."

Toph giggled. "Aw, you're so sweet, Zuko," she said. "I'll miss you too."

Suddenly, as if driven by some unknown force Zuko leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Toph froze, not knowing what do do. Then, as Zuko started to pull away, Toph realized that she didn't want him to stop kissing her. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him closer to her and kissing him back.

Toph's brain shortened out. She had no idea how long they were there. They could have been like that for forty minutes, or it could have been forty seconds. She really had no idea.

When they finally drew away from each other, gasping for breath, they stared at each other. In one fleeting moment, golden eyes staring into clouded over green ones. "I-I- I think I should probably go and pack," Toph whispered eventually, her cheeks blossoming with color. "Thanks so much for letting me stay here, Zuko. But, I should go now. Goodbye!"

She rose quickly and practically ran out of the room. Zuko watched her leave, a dreamy look still on his face. "Bye, Toph," he murmured, knowing his own cheeks were flushed from the kiss.

Neither of them knew that the other was smiling, delighted.

**I hope you guys all enjoyed that! If you loved it, please add to favorites. If you have comments, please PLEASE review! Thank you so much!**


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